The field of the invention is multi-function tools, particularly those for use in confined building inspection applications including attics, crawlspaces, and other closed areas.
At various times during the service life of a building, the structure and related property may be subject to an inspection. Some building inspections may be performed to determine compliance with building or safety codes. Other inspections may be performed in connection with the sale or change in occupancy of a building, or portion thereof, to identify structural, code, or safety issues. Inspections may be performed by any number of skilled inspectors, including government building or code inspectors, private home inspectors, construction contractors, and even individual homeowners.
In order to adequately perform an inspection, property inspectors and other building trades professionals frequently require ready access to multiple instruments, each designed to assess one or more conditions of the building structure or surrounding areas. The property inspector must access the instruments when inspecting a structure, which may include multiple living levels, basements, attics, garages, outbuildings, and other structures. In addition, building trades professionals similarly require access to multiple instruments when evaluating compliance with applicable building and code specifications. For both applications, there is an acute need to have multiple function instruments ready at hand. The inability to readily access a functional instrument, such as a meter or sensor, together with an appropriate power source can make the task of inspecting a property or verifying compliance with applicable building specifications and codes inefficient, more difficult, and unreliable. The instruments needed are often too numerous for the inspector to carry in their hands or in clothing pockets. The need to repeatedly exit and reenter a confined space to retrieve an instrument may increase the time necessary to complete an inspection and may expose the inspector to unnecessary hazards.
Among other things, a property inspector or building trades professional may overlook a test if a sensor or instrument is not readily available. In addition, lack of ready access to an instrument or sensor may delay an inspection, waste time, and add expense.
The need for a property inspector or building trade professional to have ready access to multiple functional instruments is particularly acute when the inspection concerns a confined space, such as a cellar, basement, crawlspace, or attic. In those environments, the property inspector or building trades professional may face poor lighting, inadequate ventilation, hazardous surfaces, dangerous materials, pests and vermin, and limited ability to move about. Lack of ready access to a multiple functional instrument may expose the inspector to hazards, and may degrade the quality of measurements and other observations of the condition of the property.
In addition, confined spaces in buildings often expose inspectors to health and safety hazards, including animals (such as dogs, raccoons, and other wild or aggressive animals), insects, reptiles, sharp objects, noxious or poisonous fumes, and chemical hazards such as asbestos and other friable building materials. A need exists during such inspections for ready access to devices to mitigate the hazards and their impact.
It is recognized that a need exists for a portable, self-contained, battery-powered, multiple functional instrument apparatus containing those instruments and sensors most commonly used by property inspectors and building trades professionals. The need is particularly acute for a device containing multiple instruments and sensors used by inspectors and other professionals in confined spaces such as cellars, basements, crawlspaces, or attics. The device should be portable, lightweight, and able to be maneuvered in confined spaces. The instruments and sensors present in the device should be accurate and provide data permitting the property inspector or building trades professional to evaluate compliance with building codes, health codes, building blueprints, and other regulations or specifications. The device should be usable in extreme conditions, including extreme temperatures, darkness, dusty and dirty spaces, dampness, and other environmental extremes.